The team work to find cures to cancer and know only too well how crucial new developments and breakthroughs in treatment are to help people survive the terrible disease.

So dressed in a campaign T-shirts they are urging men, women and children in the North East to make a stand against this devastating disease by raising funds for vital research.

Stand Up To Cancer is launching now and will build over the next few months as more and more people join the fight.

It will culminate in a live TV fundraiser on Friday 17 October as an army of millions tune in for a night of live TV on Channel 4 hosted by Davina McCall, Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen.

Rachel Smith, research engagement manager at the centre, said: “We are calling on everyone in the North East to Stand Up To Cancer right now. We need to fight back by raising money so that our research can continue and be translated into treatments which will help patients faster and save more lives.”

Every day 40 people are diagnosed with cancer every hour in the North East.

By joining Stand Up To Cancer, supporters in the region will be uniting with doctors, nurses, scientists and celebrities to generate funds, raise awareness and bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

There are many ways to get involved including buying stylish Stand Up To Cancer goods online or getting together with friends, family and colleagues to come up with a bright idea to raise money.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for the North East, said: “One in three people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Thanks to the incredible progress that’s been made in the last 40 years, more people are surviving than ever before.

“But we can’t afford to stand still.

“We have the technology and the knowledge to conquer cancer; we just need the funds to turn it into real-life treatments. There are so many different ways to get involved. This is our chance to make history, please join us.”